Four Facets
by Rochelle Templer
Summary: A birthday tribute to Colin Baker. The Sixth Doctor has numerous facets that make up his personality. This fic will explore four of them.


Author's Note: Ok, another new fic, but again a short one. :) As I mentioned in my summary, this is another birthday tribute fic, this time for Colin Baker, who played 'old Sixie'. Just like my Patrick Troughton birthday fic it will have four chapters featuring four aspects that I love about Colin's Doctor.

The first one I'm focusing on for this chapter, is the way that Baker always infused the Sixth Doctor with a warm heart. Sure, his Doctor could bluster, bellow and be totally oblivious, but it was always clear that there was a kind, gentle spirit just underneath all that, and that is what I wanted to show in this part. Time-line wise, this chapter takes place just after _The Mark of the Rani_.

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews this. It is always appreciated.

Part One—The Warm-Hearted Center

Peri stood and stared at the column rising and falling in the middle of the console room with one thought on her mind: the Doctor was acting strangely.

Almost as soon as that idea popped into her brain, she felt the need to amend that. Truthfully, the Doctor was always acting strangely. It was just a matter of deciding if it was the good kind of strange or the bad kind.

And right now, she was certain that it wasn't the good kind.

* * *

It had started at breakfast. After the misadventure she had just had in the 1700s, Peri decided that she was entitled to sleep in. She took her time to get out of bed and when she finally did, she settled on a quick shower, a pony tail and her favorite pair of jeans with her comfiest jumper. She was still yawning when she walked into the kitchen and found the Doctor standing in front of the stove, his back facing her.

"I was wondering when you would get up," he said without looking at her. "Making you breakfast now seems more academic than practical."

Peri plopped down onto a chair at the small table at the other side of the room. She thought about asking him why the TARDIS intermittingly had a gas stove, but figured that that wouldn't be practical either. She saw no point in trying to pry an explanation that made sense out of him when it was entirely possible that it would be gone the next time she stepped in here anyway.

"Hey, you'd be tired too if you had to run around in a bunch of coal mines in heels while having to hike up your skirts all the time," she protested. "Besides, it's not as if we've landed anywhere. You said we'd be in the Vortex for a while so you could work on the TARDIS."

"That I did," the Doctor replied. "However, I don't see our being in the Time Vortex as a reason to disregard all the trappings of a routine."

Peri rolled her eyes. She knew perfectly well that the Doctor didn't believe in routines, but was still feeling too lazy to pursue the argument. She sat quietly with her chin resting on her hand until he finished what he was doing and turned to face her. A plate perched on the fingertips of one hand; he strode over to the table and sat the plate down in front of her.

"There you are," he said triumphantly. "One of the finest omelets you'll ever eat, I can assure you."

"Finest, huh?" she chuckled. "We'll see about that. I don't even know what's in it."

"Oh um, eggs, some cheese, pepper and a few other things," he said, waving a hand back and forth. "It's an omelet. What else do you need to know?"

Peri poked at the food on her plate a couple of times with her fork, prompting a huff of indignation from the Doctor.

"Oh come on, Peri," he snapped. "It's not like I'm trying to poison you."

"Well, maybe not," she said. "But you must admit that your attempts at cooking can be a little…hit-or-miss at times. Remember when you tried to make that paella last week?"

"I told you that it had been at least a couple of incarnations since I last made it. You can't expect everything to be precise after all that time."

"I might not be able to expect precision, but I don't think it's unreasonable to be worried when the shrimp turns green and starts to glow."

"Ah," the Doctor said. "Yes, that was a rather…unexpected result. You know, I was so sure that I had grabbed the saffron from the spice rack. As it is, I think I may have inadvertently used the last of my mineral samples from Primace Xeta."

"And I suppose there's a perfectly good reason why you store your mineral samples in your spice rack?" Peri said with a smirk.

"Of course there is," the Doctor said, scratching at the back of his neck. "And I'm sure I'll think of it in time. Now, eat up."

Peri chuckled again and sliced a thin sliver of the omelet with her fork. She nibbled at it cautiously before shoving the rest of it in her mouth.

"Well?" the Doctor said.

"All right, it's good," she said between bites. "In fact, it's really good. One of the best I've had. You were right, Doctor."

"There, you see," he beamed. "Perhaps now you'll have a little more faith in my culinary prowess in the future."

The Doctor got up and grabbed another plate with a stack of toast and a bowl of berries and sat them in the middle of the table. He finished the setting with a tiny tray of cinnamon buns which smelled absolutely heavenly to Peri. She quickly finished her omelet and was on her second piece of toast when she spoke again.

"Ok, what's going on, Doctor?" she asked.

"Going on?" the Doctor echoed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean all this," she said, waving her toast over the table. "Usually, breakfast is just a bowl of porridge or some scrambled eggs. Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Can't I just choose to be nice to you?" he asked, a defensive tone creeping into his voice. "Does there have to be a reason?"

"Well no, I, I suppose not," she said. "But it's not like this is the norm for you, is it?"

Peri had expected a reply. There was always a reply any time she phrased anything into the form of a question. For a while, Peri had thought that that tendency of his was borne out of a need to meet any challenge that was thrown at him. But as she got to know this version of the Doctor, she became increasingly convinced that it was less about proving a point as it was a burning desire to not leave questions unanswered.

However, instead of a sharp retort or an answer full of techno-babble and bits of poetry, the Doctor silently gazed at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes. The silence quickly grew uncomfortable and Peri was about to break it when the Doctor got up from his chair.

"I need to work on the TARDIS' guidance systems," he said. "Go ahead and finish your breakfast without me."

"Doctor…."

But the Doctor walked out of the room before Peri could say anything else. Her smile disappeared as surveyed the food in front of her. Making such a lavish breakfast for her had been a charming gesture on his part. She didn't want to have his efforts go to waste, but she couldn't deny that her appetite had taken a pronounced downturn.

She ate some more fruit and a particularly large and gooey cinnamon bun before putting the rest of the food away. After she finished cleaning up the kitchen, Peri walked out into the corridors to find the Doctor. She knew that he would probably be buried in circuit boards and wires by now and would not be all that amiable to talking.

Still, something about that look in his eyes told her that she had somehow struck a nerve with him which surprised her. Bickering and bantering had become the norm for them after he had regenerated to his current form. Eventually, Peri came to see it as a game or perhaps even a strange show of affection between them. Thus, she hadn't expected him to be so affected by what she thought was a pretty tame remark.

* * *

Peri moved closer to the console and sighed. She had thought that she would find him either here or in one of the adjoining rooms nearby, but the Doctor was nowhere to be found.

'_He said he was going to work on the TARDIS. So why isn't he here?'_

Peri rested her hand on the console, feeling the hum of machine pulsate into her fingers. This Doctor certainly enjoyed spending even more time than the previous one repairing, adjusting and just plain tinkering with the TARDIS. It seemed like an innocent enough way for him to spend his time when they weren't exploring planets or running away from intergalactic creeps and weirdoes.

But sometimes, Peri worried that the Doctor didn't just do this out of necessity or enjoyment. Sometimes she feared that he did it as a way to avoid dealing with people or with the issues he continued to face ever since he regenerated. This made the fact that he wasn't retreating into his favorite comfort zone even more disturbing.

Peri frowned and glanced over at the main corridor. By now, she had been traveling in the TARDIS for almost a year and had learned her way around it somewhat. However, she was also aware that there many areas that she hadn't explored. With its ever-changing layout and dimensions, it would be easy for her to lose her way. Even the Doctor had gotten lost before. Twice even. Thus, Peri was extremely unsure of her chances of successfully navigating its corridors.

In the end though, Peri decided that she had to find him. It was no secret that his recent regeneration had been traumatic and difficult and that he was still adjusting to his new form. There were times when he showed signs of this struggle like when he accidentally called her a different name or appeared to be completely confused by his own thoughts. At first, these moments had been uncomfortable to watch, but Peri soon moved past those feelings. She instinctively knew that these episodes would be far worse for him if they happened while he was alone, so she learned to deal with her reactions to these moments so she could help him with his. She also knew that he would always protest being fussed over, but that he needed, and even liked, it as well.

'_Well, I always said that I wanted to learn more about the TARDIS' _she thought, taking a deep breath. _ 'I guess this is my chance. At least I don't have to worry about some creature taking me hostage…I hope.'_

Peri strolled straight down the corridor, noting all the rooms that were familiar to her so she could use them as landmarks. However, it didn't take long for her to venture into hallways that she didn't remember seeing before. She tried to make sure to keep track of where she was going in case she needed to retrace her steps. But soon, she was afraid that she had gotten her directions wrong.

'_What if I can't find my way back? What if I end up getting stuck here in these hallways for good? This place is so big. A person could probably live out an entire life here and never run into the Doctor at all. Has that actually happened? Am I going to find some wizened old creature whose whole world ended up being the TARDIS?'_

'_No wait, that's just silly. Pull yourself together, Peri. The Doctor might be eccentric, but I'm sure he's never misplaced one of his companions in his own TARDIS. Right, there's no way he'd do that. At least…I don't think there is….'_

Peri stopped walking and leaned against the wall. Despite her concern over being hopeless lost in the TARDIS, she was still more worried about how the Doctor was acting earlier. Granted, there were many times when his bluster and pomposity irritated her, but a part of her would always see him as the man who had been willing to sacrifice his life for hers. It had ceased being the primary impetus behind her friendship with him a while ago, but it was always what shouted at her the loudest whenever she thought that the Doctor needed her help.

She took a deep breath and studied the corridors around her. She couldn't put her finger on why, but suddenly she felt inspired to follow one path in particular that seemed to have appeared in front of her. She didn't know why it appeared to be a better choice than any other. It just did. As she walked along it, she felt a growing sense of confidence that she was on the right track.

Eventually, she found a large, ornate door which she had not seen before. Curious, she opened it up and was stunned at what she found inside.

A field with a gentle slope and green grass greeted her. There was what looked like a pale blue sky above her with a soft light sending down rays of warmth all around her. Clumps of heather were everywhere. Peri realized that it looked a lot like pictures she had seen of Scotland and was more than a little astonished that the Doctor would create a room like this on the TARDIS.

She was even more surprised to find the Doctor leaning back against one of the slopes nearby. It wasn't the sort of place she had anticipated to find him in. However, she soon remembered the Doctor mentioning that he used to travel with a Highlander from the 18th century. She also recalled the deep affection that was evident in his voice when he talked about this previous companion, and Peri wondered if perhaps the Doctor was missing him. Saddened by this thought, Peri slowly walked over to him.

"Doctor?" she said as she approached.

The Doctor twitched as if startled before looking over at her.

"Peri?" he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I, I was looking for you," she answered. "I thought you'd be in the console room."

"Yes well," the Doctor said. "The transducers are being difficult again. I don't know why the old girl is being so stubborn about this. It's not as if I want to interfere with her established power allocations, but I don't want a repeat of what happened on our way to Varos either."

"Neither do I," Peri agreed despite not entirely understanding what he just said. "I don't think I could take another round of you sighing like that."

The Doctor frowned at her, but Peri could tell that there was no true annoyance behind it.

"Mind if I sit down?" she asked.

"Oh no, go ahead," the Doctor said, waving an arm out at her.

"This place is really pretty," she said as she sat beside him. "I, I didn't know you had places like this on the TARDIS. I mean, I knew about the botanical garden, obviously, but…not about anything like this."

"Yes," the Doctor replied, turning his face toward the ceiling. "Jamie used to say that…."

Suddenly the Doctor stopped talking and shook his head.

"Well all that was a long time ago," he continued. "Anyway, was there something you needed?"

"N-no, not really," Peri answered. "I just wanted to thank you for breakfast…."

"Ah, you're welcome, Peri."

"…And I wanted to see if you were ok," she added. "You seemed, I don't know, a little out of sorts."

"Out of sorts?" he repeated. "Out of sorts?! Peri, I don't know why you keep insisting that I'm somehow barmy, but I can assure you that…."

"I know, I know," she said, putting her palms up toward him. "You're as stable as I'll ever see you. I haven't forgotten. It's just that…. Well, you haven't seemed like yourself…whatever that is anymore…ever since that whole thing on Earth with the Luddites and Stephenson."

The Doctor huffed and shook his head again. An attempt to defect the conversation. Peri was certain now that she was on the right track.

"You know, we could have stayed longer if you wanted to," she said. "I know you really wanted to spend some time with Stephenson and see more of his work. I could have used that time to get some more plant samples for my collection. There were actually some pretty uncommon flowers growing around there."

"No, no it was time for us to go," the Doctor insisted. "Stephenson needed to get on with his work, and I'm sure Lord Ravensworth had his hands full taking care of those men the Rani had experimented on."

"That's true," Peri nodded. "Will they be all right, Doctor?"

"With time, yes," the Doctor said. "Once they are treated with that fluid I…confiscated from the Rani, their brains should start to recover."

"Thank goodness for that," Peri said. "Those poor people. I still can't believe she did that to them. What kind of person is she anyway?"

"I told you Peri, she's a scientist," the Doctor said. "A scientist who believes that the quest for answers is far more important than any consequences she could produce along the way."

"And here I thought the Master was as bad as it could get," Peri grumbled. "I hope that's the last we see of him. I've had more of him than I can stand."

"So have I," the Doctor said.

"I mean, is this what all the renegade Time Lords are like?" Peri continued. "Seems like every one of them I've met is thoroughly rotten and wants to hurt as many people as possible."

"Peri…you do know that I would have to put myself in that category, don't you?" the Doctor said softly.

Peri's mouth fell open as her eyes widened.

"W-what…?"

"In the eyes of my people, I'm an outcast," he continued. "A criminal who stole a TARDIS and who has repeatedly broken many of their most sacred laws."

"But it's not the same," Peri insisted. "You haven't…."

"Haven't what?" the Doctor interrupted. "Haven't hurt anyone? Oh, but I have Peri. Many times. Maybe not directly, but my actions have led to it just the same. Many times, I've been forced to make decisions and those decisions have led to the most dreadful outcomes for some. I've played a hand in the destruction of many beings."

The Doctor turned to look at her, and Peri flinched at the look in his eyes.

"In fact, you of all people should know how dangerous I can be," he said. "And maybe…maybe this is why my people created so many laws discouraging us from leaving our home and getting involved with the affairs of others."

The Doctor looked away and tilted his face back toward the ceiling.

"Maybe what has happened with this regeneration is inevitable," he said. "The unavoidable change that is the natural result of our reaching beyond our world. Perhaps this is why the Time Lords eventually stopped trying to get me to stay on Gallifrey…to avoid having to expel me the same way they did the Master and the Rani."

"Stop it," Peri said forcefully, grabbing his arm. "That's not the truth, and you know it."

"Is it?" the Doctor said, his eyes, melancholic and distant, catching her in their gaze. "Then what is the truth, Miss Perpugilliam Brown?"

That put her on the spot. She knew she would have to choose her words carefully from this point on. It made her nervous, but Peri was not the type to attempt anything half-heartedly.

"I know you said you've made some tough choices and that people have gotten hurt, but I know that you're still not like them," Peri said. "Not like the Master or the Rani. You want to know how I know that? Because of Luke."

"Luke?" the Doctor said, incredulous. "Stephenson's assistant? How is that your proof? I wasn't able to save him."

"No, you weren't," Peri agreed. "But unlike the Master or the Rani, you didn't just see him as collateral damage either. You cared. You really cared about what happened to him. I, I could tell that it hurt that you couldn't save him."

Peri loosened her grip on his arm and placed her other hand onto his shoulder.

"Maybe you don't always save everyone, and maybe sometimes bad things happen when you get involved," she said. "But even when you say you're being pragmatic and doing what has to be done, I know that you care every single time. And that's why I know that you're not like them…and you never will be."

The Doctor smiled at her, a warm, open smile, and Peri knew that she had gotten through to him.

"You know, Peri, sometimes, it occurs to me just how much I can underestimate you," he said. "Thank you for taking the time to correct me. And I hope you'll continue to do so in the future."

"You're welcome," she beamed back at him. "And hey, trust me, I have no problem with correcting you. I figure someone needs to put you in your place every once in a while. Might as well be me."

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd almost think you're relishing the chance to prove me wrong," the Doctor said, pointing a finger at her nose.

"Oh no, Doctor, what makes you think that?" Peri laughed.

Soon the Doctor laughed too and put his arm around her shoulders. Peri leaned up against him and they both laid down onto the grass.

Peri was pretty sure that this wouldn't be the end of it, but right now, she would cherish this victory won toward making their friendship into something better and deeper than ever.


End file.
